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Following upon the receipt of this communication, Councillor A. Davis (then Chairman),
the Medical Officer of Health, and the Chief Clerk conferred with the Ministry's officials on
the 14th July, when the whole subject was again reviewed.
In the meantime the Council had received an offer for the sale of the freehold of several
blocks of property in Somers Town. The District Valuer was consulted, who advised that the
price asked for the land exceeded the market value.
Proposals for dealing with the first section of the Somers Town scheme were submitted
to the Committee by the Architect on the 16th November. This was followed by a further
conference with the Ministry's officials on the 3rd December, Councillors W. Carter (Chairman),
A. Davis (Deputy Chairman), the Architect and the Chief Clerk representing the Council.
The plans for dealing with the first section were placed before the Ministry's representatives,
and were the subject of considerable discussion. The area includes property bounded
on the north by Crawley Mews, on the south by Aldenham Street, on the east by Clarendon
Street, and on the west by Seymour Street.
The Ministry's representatives promised to give the matter their careful consideration,
and to advise the Council before the District Valuer was asked to report upon the value of the
interests involved in the proposals.
It was explained at the interview that, although there are other areas contemplated in
Somers Town which wholly or mainly consist of insanitary property, it was not considered
practicable under present conditions to deal with them owing to the difficulty of demolition and
de-housing, whereas the advantage of the first scheme was that it was possible to erect new
blocks of dwellings on the vacant land fronting Aldenham Street and the south end of Wolcot
Street without any displacement. Indeed, it was this fact which prompted the submission of
the first scheme. It was hoped also that the accommodation provided in the first scheme
would afterwards make it possible to prepare schemes for the neighbouring areas.
A further letter was addressed to the Ministry on the 24th December, asking whether
the Committee could proceed to prepare the scheme and so commence a much needed improvement
in the unhealthy conditions which exist in Somers Town.
No reply was received to this communication, but the area was once more visited by
the Ministry's Inspector on the 27th January, 1921, followed again by a discussion at the
Ministry on the 25th February, with Councillors Carter and Davis and the Chief Clerk, when
our representatives were urged to defer the matter owing to prevailing financial considerations.
The result of these prolonged negotiations was reported to the Council on the 23rd
March, when the Housing Committee were authorised to prepare a scheme for the improvement
of the first area under Section 39 (1) (b) of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890.
The displacement of 558 persons of the working classes is involved, and it is proposed
to provide re-housing accommodation on the cleared area, as follows:—84 flats of three rooms,
and 56 flats of four rooms, with scullery, bath room and w.c., in addition for each flat—a total of
476 rooms. Based on an average of 2 persons per room, accommodation will thus be provided
for 952 persons. The Architect's estimate of the cost of erecting three blocks of 10 flats, four
blocks of 20 flats, and one block of 30 flats is £116,800, in addition to which he provides the
sum of £11,850 for pulling down existing buildings, foundations, paving work, iron railings,
etc., making a total estimated cost of £128,650.